Exciting Christmas Adventures — Distillery Market, Gingerbread Lane Heaven, etc!

Dior Theme Christmas Tree

It's hard to believe that a month from now Christmas is just around the corner. If you like to attend Christmas events, then this is definitely your cup of tea! I have to admit out of all the small travels I attended this year, this event was definitely one of my favorite adventures.

Toronto Distillery District Christmas Market

On November 24th, my older sister and I went to the Distillery District Winter Village. The Toronto Distillery District is an annual event that is available from November 17th - December 31st, 2022; if you are planning to attend, then I recommend going during the weekdays since it is free and it is usually less crowded. If you plan to attend during the weekends or after 6pm on Fridays, then you will need to pay an admission fee of $11 — the downside, I would say, is that it tends to be more crowded. 

As it was my first time attending the Christmas Market, my older sister and I had lots of fun! There were a lot of beautiful Christmas lights, interesting food vendors, and cute little shops to explore. The items offered by the vendors can be pricey, however, the quality was worth it. My older sister and I shared an order of truffle fries topped with parmesan cheese for approximately $8; the fries were super golden brown, and crispy, and you can definitely taste the truffle. Also, the servers were super friendly. :) Another interesting flavor they offered was Kimchi french fries. 

Distillery Christmas Market Lighting

Also, winter is not the same without having a cup of hot chocolate! My older sister and I found a chocolatier at the market called Soma. Again, the hot chocolate was pricey and for the price, I wouldn't really recommend it because I didn't really get a whole lot of chocolate flavor plus in the end, I tasted a lot of the chocolate bitterness. 

Other than that, I really enjoyed looking at the Christmas lights; everything was super pretty and it made me feel like I was in the Christmas spirit! 

Fairmount Royal York Hotel — Gingerbread House Heaven

In addition to the Distillery District, my older sister and I visited the Fairmount Royal York located on Front Street West, Toronto. 

We visited the area because this year the hotel's culinary and engineering team transformed a part of its main hall into a breathtaking gingerbread lane. 

Overall, the experience was very fascinating and short. Be aware, it can be confusing at first because when my sister and I entered the hotel, we were not greeted with any directions indicating where the lane was located. Because of this, we both explored the hotel a bit, but in the end, the hospitality workers were more than willing to help us when we asked for directions.

Gingerbread Window Display

As we headed toward Gingerbread Lane, you can already smell the gingery smell from all the gingerbreads. The window displays were beautifully designed, but I believe it would have been a cooler experience if the figures within the displays were also constructed out of gingerbread. 

 Gingerbread Lane

Also, something to note is only (mainly) one side of the wall was constructed with gingerbread window displays whereas the second side was mainly Christmas light tree and reindeer sculpture decorations. 

Random Adventures

To conclude my adventure, my sister and I stopped by St. Lawrance Market. St.Lawrance Market is a farmer's market that consists of a lot of fresh fruits, seafood, meat, and even pastry! If you decide to grab a bite, there are various food vendors you can choose from and everything is made fresh. 

And lastly, Nathan Phillip Square is located at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street. My sister and I visited in hopes of seeing the Christmas tree, but unfortunately, when we arrived it looks like the Christmas tree was still being set up. But nevertheless, if you enjoy ice skating, you can definitely drop by the famous rink!

For the most part, I had an amazing time exploring these places and I hope to visit these places again next year! If you decide to visit these places yourself or with a loved one, let me know what you think, and please don't forget to dress warmly because winter in Canada cause the weather to be crazy! I definitely made this mistake and was freezing my fingers off. 😅